


Blood ties

by Liniel



Series: The Norrath Saga [9]
Category: EverQuest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2019-07-22
Packaged: 2020-07-10 18:08:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19909984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liniel/pseuds/Liniel
Summary: Another year has passed. The relation between sisters Chianie and Ailith is tense, but at least they are talking again. Chianie leaves Qeynos to see Ailith in Freeport; trying to rebuild her life.





	1. Chapter 1

_Sometimes I remember the darkness of my past_  
_Bringing back these memories I wish I didn't have_  
_Sometimes I think of letting go and never looking back_  
_And never moving forward so there'd never be a past_

_Linkin Park - Easier to Run_

Knight-captain Molavin Kenlyl puffed his pipe, his black eyes narrowing as he watched the faces of the other three players - all fellow officers serving the Freeport Militia. He had a good hand and tonight he would win, he could feel it. There was some commotion downstairs in the main hall, he could hear raised voices but ignored them. _Probably some soldier who had too much to drink_ , he mused to himself.

A few seconds later there was a knock on the door, and a manservant peeked his head in. “Sir? My humble apologies for intruding. Lachlyn of the city guard is at the door, claiming he has something to report.” Annoyed at the disturbance, Molavin grit his teeth. “Alright, send him up here. Tell him to be quick about it.”

Another minute passed until Lachlyn appeared in the doorway. “Sir Kenlyl.” He saluted his officer, then gave a polite bow. “Get on with it boy.” said the knight-captain, tossing the intruder a cold glance. “What is so important that it cannot wait until tomorrow?” He motioned with a ringed hand. “Well? Speak.” Lachlyn cleared his throat nervously. “It’s the Noquar brat, sir. Your instructions were to report to you if she were sighted.” He waited. Molavin was known and feared for his cruelty and malice, but also for his generous rewards to those who served him well. Molavin ran a finger across his upper lip thoughtfully. “You are sure of this?” His dark eyes seemed to pierce through young Lachlyn, who felt a shiver run down his spine. “Yes sir. I saw her myself by the west gates, not half an hour ago. She was alone.”

Molavin took in the news with a blank expression on his face. The silence seemed to last for an eternity as no one even dared breathe, waiting for the knight-captain’s reaction. At last he moved, reaching into his belt pouch for a few gold coins. Tossing them casually to the young soldier, he gave his command. “Good job. Meet me at the main gates to the Militia Hall in 10 minutes, all of you. Be sure to be well armed.” He paused before he continued. “I want this one alive.”

He waited until he was alone, then walked over to the window, clenching his jaw. _Chianie Noquar._

Out in the Commonlands, Chia dropped her shield and backpack on the ground, wiping sweat off her brow. The sun shone mercilessly and the young guardian was hot and annoyed. She pulled off her gauntlets, letting them join the other items in the sand. As she loosened the straps holding her chest plate in place, she spoke in a low voice, using the powers of her signet ring in an attempt to reach her sister. “Ailith? Ailith are you awake?” Her words were met with compact silence. She’d had a hard time lately, trying to reach her guild mates. Maybe the ring’s magic was wearing off. “Listen, I’m over by the Hideout... If you can hear me, meet me down in the Thieves’ Way in an hour, ‘kay?”

Chia sighed. She could get into Freeport on her own but it would be so much easier with Ailith "distracting" the guards. She removed the chest plate, stretching lazily before she sat down to rest and await dusk, when she could move through the shadows. She still wore leather leggings and heavy boots, along with a white linen blouse. There was a thin layer of road dust on her face and armor, and her silver hair was tangled and dirty. “Gods, I’m dying for a bath.” She rummaged through her bag and found an apple. Leaning her back against the city walls she took a bite, chewing thoughtfully. _Freeport._ How long had it been since she left that night, so long ago? Five years? Six? She had been young and foolish then, she mused to herself as she enjoyed the freshness of the apple; thinking then that Qeynos would be different somehow. Her gaze wandered across the lands surrounding her as she thought of these last years of her life, absentmindedly taking another bite from the apple.

Her eyes caught a glint of sunlight on metal - no more than 50 meters away. Her ears swiveled forward as her keen hearing picked up the sound of swords being drawn. Someone was moving through the shrubbery.

She jumped to her feet, dropping the apple as she grabbed her shield and drew her sword. “Ailith!” She invoked the ring again, her voice shrill, heart thumping hard inside her chest. “The Hideout, NOW, I’m under attack!”


	2. Blood Haze

_We can never go home_   
_We no longer have one_   
_I'll help you carry the load_   
_I'll carry you in my arms_

_Editors - No sound but the wind_

Ailith closed the door to her apartment behind her and let out a sigh of relief as she walked into the kitchen. Home, at last. She had, like so many other assassins, been hired by the Freeport Militia to spy on the Bloodskull orcs after the reports on their unusual activities of late. All signs seemed to point to the conclusion that the Bloodskulls now worked closely with the Ree tribe and the Rujarkians - possibly even the Deathfists. These were disturbing news indeed, Ailith thought to herself as she unstrapped her bow and quiver, placing them on the kitchen table along with her daggers. If the orc tribes were to rally under one banner... She didn’t follow that trail of thought. Yawning widely, she slid off her signet ring and placed it on the table next to her weapons.

Ailith had spent the night surveiling the orcs, and when dawn broke she had returned to Freeport to report back to the Militia. Now, she was dying to take a bath, to rub her skin until the dirt came off. Dealing with the Militia always made her feel unclean. Passing the reception desk on her way to her room, she had instructed one of the maids to prepare her bath, but there was no sign of the girl yet.

Her stomach growled. When had she last eaten? It must have been at breakfast yesterday, she thought to herself as she filled a kettle with water from a barrel to make herself some tea, then set it down on the stove and went to stand in front of the mirror. She was clad in black leather pants and a matching vest, leaving her arms bare. Around her neck, she wore a heart shaped onyx stone on a leather cord. As she let down her hair, running her fingers through it, her gaze fell on the signet ring resting on the table. It was glowing with a faint blue light. _Chia._ A sudden shiver ran down her spine as she snatched the ring from the table and slipped it onto a finger. Her sister was coming to see her today, to spend a few days with her here in Freeport. Now, sliding the enchanted ring on, she heard her sister’s shrill voice in her mind. “...hideout, NOW, I’m under attack!”

“Rot and ruin!” Ailith cursed. Her sister was a strong and capable fighter. She could handle herself in combat. If she called for backup, things must really be getting out of hand.

Quickly, she strapped on her belt, sheathing her daggers. She grabbed her bow and quiver and slipped into the shadows, the door being ripped open and then slammed shut the only sign of her leaving.


	3. In that moment, she felt the loss

“Little miss Noquar. Why look at you, all grown up...” Molavin spat at the ground near Chia’s feet. “Leave us.” He nodded towards the others.

Chianie growled, her muscles tensing as she shifted, preparing for one last attack. The knight smirked at her. “Don’t wear yourself out, love. Save some of that energy for our wedding night.” He was surprised to find her much changed. He hadn’t seen her in years and had half expected to meet the obnoxious child he remembered from the training halls. Instead, he found himself facing a fierce warrior, never yielding even though she was outnumbered. She was brave, he had to give her that. And it made her defeat so much sweeter.

Again, she raised her sword, her arm trembling with exhaustion. “It was an arrangement between my father and yourself, I never had any say in it. But I do now. I will never marry you.” She lifted her chin defiantly, breathing hard. Blood poured forth from her mouth as she spoke, trickling down her chin, spilling onto her armor and the ground.

Molavin narrowed his eyes. “Insolent female.” He swung his great mace at her, anger distorting his face. Chia had little time to react. She lifted her shield to parry the blow, grunting as the blow landed hard, shattering the shield and breaking her now unprotected arm. The pain and the blood loss made her feel faint, blurring her vision. The shield fell to the ground, her left arm hanging useless at her side. She sank to her knees, biting back a moan of pain as she glared at Molavin, blood dripping into her eyes from a nasty cut above the eyebrow. “I would rather die than let you touch me.” Her hand gripped her sword tightly.

“Silence.” Molavin kicked her hard in the chest, sending her flying backwards. She landed on her back in the sand, hitting her head against the ground. “Is it death you seek? Then I will give it to you.” His voice was coarse as he came after her, grasping her throat as he pinned her down to the ground. She was too exhausted to fight him, her eyes rolling back as she nearly lost consciousness. He tugged at her leggings. “But first I’ll have my fun.”

Suddenly Molavin froze, a look of surprise creeping across his face. He rolled over to his side, reaching desperately for the arrows burried in his back as he turned his head to see the face of his attacker.

She watched him coolly, lavender eyes gleaming with cold hatred as she nocked another arrow, pulling back the bowstring. Before she sent it flying through the air, she tilted her head, giving him a smirk. “Nope, you really won’t.” Ailith released the arrow, quirking an eyebrow as it burried itself deep in Molavin’s left eye, his eyes glazing over in death. “I really need to practice more. I was aiming for the right eye...” Her voice trailed off as she looked at Chia. “No...!” She threw away her bow, dropping to her knees.

Chia lay silent with her eyes closed, deathly pale. Ailith caressed her hair gently, leaning in close to feel for Chia’s breath on her skin. “No!.. Chia....” Ailith’s voice was thick with grief. She sat on the ground, bent over her sister’s lifeless corpse, struggling to fight back the tears, slowly caressing Chianie’s face. “I cannot lose you, not now, not like this...”

Wild dogs howled in the distance. They would soon pick up on the scent of blood. Driven by despair, the petite assassin managed to scoop up her sister’s limp, broken body and staggered to her feet. _When Ailith had first heard of her little sister’s existence, she’d been nearly consumed with envy. Chia had it all - a life in luxury, a home... A family._

She held Chianie close to her chest, carrying her towards the Sprawl gates. _Ailith had been left on the streets to die when she was an infant, abandoned by a woman foolish enough to think her lover would take her back if she got rid of the baby._

She could make out two figures by the gates, guards no doubt. They wouldn’t let her take Chia back to the city, she thought grimly. _Only the gods knew how she had survived those first years. Someone must have cared for her enough to feed her, but she had no memories of this person._

Almost there now. The guard on the right drew his sword, calling out to her. “Halt! Who goes there?” He looked familiar to her. _All she could remember was the ever present hunger, the bone-numbing chill of the winter nights, and her desperate drive to live._ “Pieran? Let me pass.” The dark sorrow welling up within threatened to overcome her. Her sister was dead and with her, all hope had gone. _She had clung to life, she’d done whatever it took to make it through each day. And she had become hard, dead inside._ _She’d learned to shut off her feelings during those nights, when she kept lonely men’s beds warm. She had learned to act, to carefully hide her emotions behind a mask._

Pieran smirked at her. “Ailith? Is that you? Are you come to keep us company?” He grinned, letting his hungry gaze wander over Ailith’s slender body as she gently laid Chianie down on the ground. _The first time she had met Chianie, she’d found her spoiled, arrogant. But with time, she had seen something of herself in Chia, in spite of their differences. Chianie never gave up. She fought until she was outnumbered, until all hope of survival was lost... And even then, she kept fighting. But no more._

Ailith’s lavender eyes darkened, a black anger filling the hole in her heart as she squatted on the ground by her sister’s corpse. She heard the sound of steel as the other guard drew his sword as well, and then she smiled, a dangerous gleam in her eyes. In one swift movement she arose, drew her daggers and sent one flying through the air. Pieran tried to parry with his sword but he was too slow, and the blade burried itself in his neck. The other guard threw himself at her, thrusting forward with his sword. Ailith evaded, quickly stabbing upwards into his soft abdomen, twisting the blade. He dropped his sword, slumping to the ground, twitching with spasms as the poison burned through his veins. Emotionlessly, Ailith retrieved her daggers, not bothering to wipe the blood off before she sheathed them. How long would it take the Militia to track her down? She didn’t care anymore. Once more she picked up Chianie’s body, leaving the corpses of the guards behind as she slipped through the gates and into the Sprawl.


	4. And nothing else matters

I never opened myself this way   
Life is ours, we live it our way   
All these words I don't just say   
And nothing else matters

Metallica - Nothing else matters

Ailith knocked impatiently on Hmal's door. She wore black leather pants and a matching vest, leaving her toned, blood smeared arms bare. Her silvery pink hair was tangled and dirty, her face streaked with tears, and grief made her voice thick and tight as she shouted out. "Hmal! Damn it, you open this door or a certain guardsman will find out who's been keeping his wife company... HMAL!!!!"

There was no reply from the shaman's room, yet she was convinced he was cowering in there. _Chia..._ A cold hand grasped at her heart and clutched it so tightly she could barely breathe. _I can't lose you, not now, not like this._ "HMAL!!" Desperation flaring in every part of her, Ailith kicked in the door to the inn room and was met by a foul stench - rotting flesh, urine, sour wine. She wrinkled her nose and fought back the nausea, striding into the dark room with narrowing eyes. Darkness had never bothered her. She relied on her innate ultra-vision, and the faint moonlight seeping in through the curtains from a window high up near the ceiling was more than enough. She growled, spotting the lousy human asleep in his bed. She grabbed him by his filthy tunic and pulled him up to her face. His eyes snapped open and he gasped in shock as he stared into lavender eyes, glowing faintly like the slit eyes of a predator. Ailith drew her dagger and pressed it against the unprotected, bare skin of his neck. "Hmal. I need your help."

He recognized the voice before his mind could register her face. "Hey, calm down, hey, you're tearing my tunic!"

She let out a low scornful laugh, but didn't let go. "Grab your things, you have a resurrection ceremony to perform." She didn't wait for his reply. Ignoring his protests and the foul stream of curses, she pulled him up on his feet and dragged him out into the streets, back to the Blood Haze Inn.

"In here. Hurry." She pushed the human through the door and slammed it shut behind them. As she turned her gaze to the bed, the human quickly glanced towards the door, and a sly look crossed his face as he shifted to make a run for it.

"Oh no, you don't." She moved faster than he ever thought possible. A dagger flung from her hand buried itself in the door post, just inches from his face. Her eyes wandered from the bed to the quivering shaman. "Now get your ass over here or the next one will find your eye." She weighed another dagger in her hand, playing with it with a smirk her lips. 

_Your time will come, Ailith Velkyn._ But for now he would play along. He crossed the floor, slowed down as he reached the bed and inched closer, never letting his eyes off the assassin's hand and the dagger she held. The girl lying on the bed was cold and still, her midnight blue skin looking ashen and pale, the lips dark and bloodless. Her eyes had rolled up into her head and her silver hair was dirty and tangled. Shocked, the shaman met Ailith's stare. "Her body is broken!"

The assassin frowned, an annoyed look crossing her face. "Yeah well duh, idiot. Else why would I need your skills... What, you thought I brought you over here to woo you with my poetry?" She began to pace back and forth, biting the nail of her thumb. “So? Can you do it or not? Bring her back?"

He ignored the outburst - he was well familiar with the assassin and her mood swings - and focused on the girl. He ran his hands across her, feeling the many broken bones under her bruised skin. He gave Ailith a quick nod and began rocking from side to side absently, his lips mumbling a chant. His eyes glazed over. Beneath his fingers, the girl's skin took on a deeper color. There were sickening, cracking sounds that made Ailith shudder as bones were mended and flesh knitted to flesh. The shaman closed his eyes, focusing. Beckoning. Willing her soul back from the Grey Fields. It took all the strength he had left, and left him feeling faint and drained. Slowly, he opened his eyes, small drops of sweat trickling down his forehead. "Time will do the rest."

"Time? What do you mean, time?" Ailith stepped forward, pushing the human aside impatiently. "Chianie? Chia?" Her voice was worried, her eyes fixed on the girl’s face, fingers brushing strands of hair from it.

The shaman looked slowly from the assassin to the girl and back to Ailith. _Chianie?_ Wasn't there a reward out for the runaway daughter of Lord Noquar? Something about an assassination attempt – and a substantial reward. Yes. He ran a finger across his upper lip thoughtfully to hide his sly smirk. "Yes, she will need time to recover. I can do no more here, so if you will excuse me..."

"Yeah. Yeah, whatever." Ailith waved dismissively at him, her eyes still lingering on her sister's face. The shaman backed away, shutting the door behind him as he scurried off like a rat.

"Oh, Chia..." Ailith's voice was soft, gentle, a mere whisper. She ran her fingers across the lines and familiar features of her sister’s face. "Just look at you." But the bruises were already fading and only thin lines showed where gaping wounds had just been. She breathed calmly now, her chest heaving for each breath, and her eyes fluttered beneath closed lids. A thin layer of road dust still covered her skin and made her hair look lifeless and dull. Ailith arose and walked over to the kitchen, where she filled up a few kettles with fresh water to heat on the stove. Tossing a glance towards the bed now and then, she began tidying up the room while patiently filling a tub with warm water, adding jasmine flowers to make it fragrant. When the tub was finally filled, she kneeled by the bed to stroke her sister's forehead. "I will look after you from now on, Chia. I promise. Always." Again, Ailith scooped up her sister's limp body in her arms. It made her heart ache to see how petite and vulnerable Chia looked without her armor.

Cradling her in her arms, she carried Chia over to the tub and lowered her into the water. Chianie didn't react, and Ailith felt another tug at her heart. _What if she never wakes up?_ But now was not the time to dwell on such fears. She pushed the thoughts aside for now, and began washing her sister's silver hair with soap weed.

When she was done, she lifted Chia up and wrapped her in warm blankets, curling up next to her on the bed. In a gesture of protection, Ailith wrapped her arm around her baby sister in a tight hug, and soon drifted off to sleep.

_In one of the many dark alleys of Freeport, money changed hands and words of betrayal were whispered in the dark._


	5. Witchy Ways

"And you are SURE this will have the effect I desire?" said the assassin, eyes wandering to the unconscious woman tucked into bed.

"Positive. You have but to break the crystal and the changes will take effect immediately." The old woman smiled reassuringly, but the smile didn't quite reach her flint grey eyes. She wore a dark robe, simple and unadorned, and her white hair was brushed back from her wrinkled face and wrapped into a bun at her neck. She reached out a trembling hand, grabbing the young dark elf by the arm.

Ailith tore her gaze from the silent form on the bed, and turned towards the old witch, lavender eyes blazing. "Don't touch me." She spat out the words, voice laced with contempt.

The witch only grasped harder, burying her fingers into the soft smooth skin. "Hear me. The spell will last for an hour. No more."

"Yeah, I hear you. Now get lost, I have to tend to my sister." The elf shrugged free and returned to the bedside, already focused on her task.

The witch's eyes lit up briefly as she flashed a peculiar half-smirk. Clenching the gold coins tightly in her wrinkled hand, she wrapped the robe closer about her and left the room.

Fingering the soul crystal absently and then slipping it into her pocket, the assassin watched her sister's face. Her voice came out so low it was almost a whisper. "An hour. That will have to be enough."


	6. Amends part 1

The morning sun tickled open her eyes. She blinked once, twice, then rolled over on her belly and hugged the pillow, burying her face in it. Someone suddenly exhaled nearby her. Chianie opened one sleep dazed eye and peeked towards the window. She didn’t recognize the room, but the woman standing by the window with her arms folded across her chest was as familiar to her as her own reflection in the mirror. "Ailith?" Her sister, the assassin.

Ailith grinned at her, but there was no mistaking the relief in her voice. "You expected someone else?” She tossed a glance through the window to the street outside, and then turned to walk over to the bed. “Hey, about time you woke up. You've been asleep for two full days." She sat down on the bed, taking Chianie's hand into her own with a tenderness that surprised the young warrior. She didn’t get it. Being here, with Ailith. The last thing she remembered was the scorching sun, grains of sand in her mouth. And then… Nothing.

Suddenly Chia became aware of the sound of raised voices coming from the outside. She tried to sit up but a sudden dizziness made her stomach heave and she let out a groan, paling as she sank back into the pillow. She cleared her throat. "So… What's with all the commotion? Something going on?"

Ailith's smile faded, and Chia caught the look in her eyes before she shook her head and arose. "Nah. It's nothing. The militia boys at it again.” She shrugged, then bit into her lower lip and chewed at it for a moment. “How’s the head? Was thinkin’ a walk might do you some good. Outside the city walls. If you think you can manage? Fresh air, sun on your skin..." She tossed another glance towards the window and stood, stretching.

"Alright." Chia sat up more slowly this time as to not get dizzy. "If you say so." She planted her feet on the floor, paused to rub her temples with a frown. There was something... A vague memory of scorching sun, a glint of steel. Feeling sore all over, she carefully stood up, looking around the small room with her eyebrows pulled together. "So where did you put my clothes?" Still frowning, she turned to look at her sister.

Ailith pulled her bow and quiver across the back, slid her daggers into their sheaths at her waist and bent forward to slide yet another one into a sheath fastened against her leg. As she straightened her back, she paused to look at Chia, and her lavender eyes were serious and dark. A sudden suspicion dawned on Chia. She snapped her eyes to the window, listening to the sound of marching boots outside. “What's going on here? Ailith? Aren't you a little too heavily armed for a casual stroll?"

"Can never be too careful." Ailith clenched her jaw, and pulled her hair back in a sloppy bun at the nape of her neck. "And you'll have to make do with what you find in my closet, Chia. I'm sorry, but your stuff was in bad shape and I had to dump it."

Chia opened her mouth but snapped it shut again, deciding it would be wisest to not anger the feisty dark elf right now. Her daggers were probably already coated in a layer of deadly poison. "Yeah. Okay." She ripped open the closet doors and stared at the outfits hanging there. "By the gods, Ailith... I can’t wear any of this. Where do you do your shopping – at the Maiden’s Fancy?"

Ailith chuckled. "You have no choice, baby. Just pick something with a hood so you can hide your pretty face. Don't want them militia lads to spot you, seein’ as how you're banished and all."

To this, Chia merely snorted, deciding for a raven black velvet gown with a hooded cape lined with silk, and like the rest of the gowns, this one flaunted cleavage. Lots of it. Quickly she pulled it on, muttering. "Oh, Brell's balls. I look like a bar wench. My sword?..."

"Hey, that's my favorite dress." Ailith grinned. "Your sword is somewhere in the desert, pet, you will have to pick something from my weapons rack. Hurry up, we have to get going." She moved closer to the door, ears perked as she listened intently for the sound of steel clad feet downstairs.

Chia grabbed a morning star and a warhammer, hiding them under her cape as well as she could. "Alright. Let's go." Her blood was already rushing faster through her veins. There was nothing she loved better than a good fight.


	7. Amends part 2

_I'm cold and broken_   
_It's over, I didn't want to see it come to this_   
_I wonder if I will ever see your face again_   
_And I know that I will find a way to shed my skin_   
_It's simple, I know that I will suffer in the end_

_Breaking Benjamin - Fade away_

"In here, quickly!" Ailith pushed Chianie into a narrow crack in the mountain wall and slipped in behind her. They were both tired and thirsty after their hurried flight from Freeport, with the Militia on their heels.

"You think they saw us?" Chia was out of breath, sweat pearling on her forehead. Her Teir’Dal eyes quickly adapted to the gloom of the hidden gave, her gaze falling upon the chests stacked against the far end wall. "What’s this - a hideout? Yours?"

Ailith slid off her gloves and threw them on the ground, peeking out through the crack. "Yeah. Don't touch anyth-- Damned!" She growled, reaching for her bow. Quickly she nocked an arrow and sent it flying through the crack. A thud outside confirmed she had hit her target, but she could hear raised voices not too far away. She slipped a hand into her pocket, then lifted it to her mouth, sliding a finger along her lips. She turned around to face Chia, and tears glittered in her eyelashes. "Well. Looks like this is the end of the road, love."

From the outside, a harsh voice called to them. "Chianie Noquar! You are surrounded! Lay down your weapons and surrender!"

Chia dropped her morning star to the cave floor with a loud clang, but only to hurry over to her sister and wrap her arms tightly around her. "No! We can still fight..." But her voice trailed off, filled with doubt.

Ailith held her close, one hand stroking Chia’s back soothingly. "No. No, we can't, pet... No more fighting." She pulled back, cupping Chianie's face in her hands. "Listen. I love you, Chia. Remember that. More than anything in this world. Nothing else matters." Gently, she placed a kiss on her sister's lips. Chia opened her mouth to respond, but then her eyes widened in shock. Her knees gave way and she grasped after Ailith as she slumped to the ground. "P--...p--...poison?!" Chia's body quickly grew stiff and rigid, and she already had difficulty speaking, frothing at the mouth.

"I'm sorry, baby..." Ailith wiped her mouth with her sleeve to get rid of the last of the sleeping-poison. "I promised you that I would take care of you." She took out the soul crystal from her belt pouch and studied it briefly before she dropped it to the ground and stomped it to shatter it and release the spell bound inside. "And I will."

"Last chance to surrender!" shouted the captain outside as his men crept closer through the shrubbery, weapons drawn. He had archers waiting with readied bows. This time, the Noquar girl would not slip through their hands, he would make sure of it.

Ailith ignored the shouts and squatted down, looking into Chianie's eyes. She waited. Lavender eyes shifted and brightened into a pale silvery blue, softly mauve skin darkening into a midnight blue as the assassin took on the appearance of her sister. Her pink hair now silver like moonlight, Ailith caressed Chianie's face, her voice thick with grief. "Farewell, Chia. May the gods watch over you when I cannot."

Chianie lay still and incapacitated on the ground, conscious but unable to move, as her sister stood to walk towards the crack in the wall, now the spitting image of Chia herself. "I surrender. You hear? Don't shoot, I surrender!" Ailith shouted out to the men outside, looking over her shoulder at her sister one last time before she stepped out into the sunshine.

The captain looked at the wanted-poster in his hands and then at the woman exiting through the crack in the mountain. "It's her. That's Chianie Noquar!" He growled a command at his men. "Fire at will!" A shower of arrows rained down upon the assassin and her pained scream echoed through Chianie's mind as she slipped into a welcomed oblivion.


	8. At the end of all things

She wore a black gown today, long and silky, the fabric flowing around her feet. Over it she wore a velvet cloak with the hood up, and her young face was hidden within the shadows of it. She followed the forest path deeper into the woods, keeping her gaze fixed on it because she feared the things lurking in the shadows beneath the tall trees.

She reached a bridge and took a turn to the right, following the river. Soon she came to the dark pond where the waters were silent and deep. She lifted a slender hand to lower the hood, revealing her face. She had washed her hair and brushed it until it shone, like a river of silver casquading down her back. Her face was dark and serious, silver eyes no longer sparkling.

Holding a single lily, darkly pink and fragrant, the woman dropped to her knees in the dewy grass. She brushed away a tear from her cheek and placed the flower on the grave before her.

She remained in silence by the grave, heart aching. She was leaving and for a moment her thoughts went to the man that she loved. Would he miss her, search for her? Or would he simply move on to the next willing body to cross his path? She took a deep, trembling breath, fingers lightly resting against the tombstone. "I love you too." Grief made her throat tighten and she struggled to hold back the hot tears stinging her eyes.

Her fingers traced along the letters carved into the stone.

_Ailith Velkyn_   
_Beloved sister_   
_May you find peace in death_

Chianie reluctantly stood, pulling the hood back up over her head. It was time to leave. Her father was awaiting her by the docks - the ship would embark this eve, setting sail for new and strange lands. They both still had many things to atone for, but she would not let Ailith's sacrifice be in vain. She would honor her sister and make amends, and for as long as she lived Ailith would live on in her memories.


End file.
